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Imori and Aseri
=Imori and Aseri= ---- Overview The Imori and Aseri inhabit the craggy jumble of canyons and mountain ranges in the center of Crasta's largest continent. Once a single race, they have developed distinct physical traits better suited to their respective habitats, described below. Environment The Imori live in small villages built into the walls of canyons to stay above the flash floods that both devastate and renew life on the canyon floors. The floods bring fish and rich soil used for sericulture. The canyon walls themselves are composed of limestone shot through with veins of corrugated pumice. The interleaving pattern of soluble and less soluble rock creates wondrous sculptures authored by wind and water. Almost no metals are found in this region. The Aseri build elaborate structures high in the mountains] where they cultivate rare herbs and luxury food stuffs such as coffee, and the psychoactive flowers of Lion's Tail. The Aseri have earned fortunes in trade, but retain a humbleness and symbiotic awareness of their environment belied by their exotic constructions. Physical Traits Both the Imori and Aseri are longer of limb and stature than the average human. These traits make them expert climbers, able to easily traverse their rocky surroundings. Nearsightedness is also common among both races, though they have an incredible eye for detail. A seemingly sheer cliff face is pocked with hand and foot holds unseen by other races. The Imori are thicker and stronger than their aristocratic counterparts (but still taller than most humans), with copper skin and hair ranging from auburn to coal. They employ their great strength in farming and constructing the cliff-side aqueducts required for sericulture. The Aseri, by comparison are wiry and thin, with sharpfeatures and almost exclusively black hair (not shown in reference image). They are also lighter of skin, but mostly due to their many layers of clothing rather than genetic predisposition. The Aseri are more skilled with their hands than their farming neighbors and are excellent writers, artists and chemists. Clothing The Imori favor little clothing when working in their terraced farms. Men and women wear little more than a sarong wrapped around their privates and a good belt to hold seeds and tools. For ceremonial and military purposes, Imori outfit themselves in thick, stiff cloth garments with light stone armor and stone weapons. The stone armor is cast from a mixture of the pumice and lime that is found in the canyon walls; it is similar to concrete and surprisingly light and strong. The Aseri prefer elaborate layered clothing and adorn themselves with metals to show their wealth. Metals are almost non-existent in the heart of Crasta and the Aseri purchase them at great cost. We see below a wealthy Aseri aristocrat (leftmost) and bodyguard (rightmost) in alternate outfits adorned with more or less metal depending on the formality of the occasion. Both the Imori and Aseri place ritual importance in tattoos made from natural dyes. The scrawling designs of the tattoos can denote occupation, religion, rank, or even family for some powerful clans. The Aseri favor a blue dye derived from the indigo mushrooms found in the shaded roots of mountain pines; while the Imori prefer a reddish brown dye rendered from the powdered leaves of henna, grown on the baking hot plateaus atop their native canyons. ---- Art Credits: Leonardoschmidt, Imori Village Najtkriss, Aseri Towers Vhu, Imori Dress and Armor Tyshea, Imori and Aseri physique, Aseri Dress ----